The diet in autumn should be based on the fundamental principle of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs. For the elderly with a weak stomach, eating congee in the morning can benefit the stomach and generate body fluids, such as Lily and Lotus Seed Congee, Tremella and Glutinous Rice Congee with Rock Sugar, Almond and Fritillary Bulb Glutinous Rice Congee, and Black Sesame Congee. In addition, it is also advisable to eat more sour fruits and vegetables and less spicy and stimulating foods, which is greatly beneficial for protecting the liver and nourishing the lungs.
Lotus Seed
Lotus seeds are good at supplementing the deficiencies of the five organs, promoting the circulation of qi and blood in the twelve meridians, and keeping the qi and blood flowing smoothly without stagnation. The neferine contained in lotus seeds has an inhibitory effect on nasopharyngeal cancer. All of these constitute the nutritional and health-care functions of lotus seeds in preventing and fighting cancer.
Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup
Red Bean
Red beans can be used medicinally to clear heat and detoxify, strengthen the spleen and benefit the stomach, promote urination and reduce swelling, and relieve qi stagnation and irritability. They can be used to treat conditions like difficult urination, edema due to spleen deficiency, and beriberi. Eating red beans in autumn can be beneficial for health. This is because, in most parts of our country, after the beginning of autumn, the temperature is often high for a long time, and the air humidity is also relatively large. Under such climatic conditions, it is necessary to regulate the spleen and stomach before tonifying the body. Regulating the spleen and stomach should focus on clearing heat, promoting diuresis to drain dampness, and strengthening the spleen. Red beans have exactly these effects, which can help expel damp-heat from the body in a timely manner, promote the recovery of spleen and stomach function, and at the same time, red beans also have a good blood-nourishing effect, which can lay the foundation for autumn and winter tonification.
Red Bean and Glutinous Rice Cake
Pumpkin
Pumpkin contains starch, protein, carotene, vitamins B and C, and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. It is rich in nutrition and is a common vegetable for people in rural areas, and it is also receiving increasing attention from urban residents. Pumpkin not only has high edible value but also has an undeniable therapeutic effect. According to "Dian Nan Ben Cao", pumpkin is warm in nature, sweet in taste, and non-toxic. It enters the spleen and stomach meridians and can moisten the lungs, replenish qi, resolve phlegm, expel pus, expel parasites, detoxify, treat coughs and asthma, heal lung abscesses and constipation, and has diuretic and beautifying effects.
Salted Egg Yolk and Pumpkin
Tremella
Tremella, also known as white fungus, white ear, or snow ear, gets its name from its silvery-white color and human ear-like shape. Tremella is generally sold as a dried product, and the best quality is one that is dry, white with a slight yellowish tint, large and light in texture, with a luster and thick gelatin. Tremella can nourish yin and clear heat, moisten the lungs and relieve cough, nourish the stomach and generate fluids, replenish qi and activate blood, strengthen the kidneys and benefit the heart, improve brain function and refresh the mind, and relieve fatigue. It has the medicinal characteristic of being moistening without being greasy.
Red Date and Tremella Soup
Carrot
Carrots can both strengthen the spleen and stomach, and nourish the liver and improve eyesight. The carotene and vitamin A in carrots are fat-soluble substances and can only be absorbed by the body in the presence of oil. Therefore, it is best to eat carrots stir-fried with meat or stewed.
Carrot and Egg Pancake
Brown Rice
The white and soft rice we usually eat is called refined white rice. It is a product obtained through the processing of milling and removing the outer layers of the rice. Although rice is white and delicate, you may not know that during the milling process of refined rice, the germ, the aleurone layer, and the bran are all milled away. Brown rice retains more comprehensive nutrition and more vitamins.
Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Brown Rice
Eggplant
Eating eggplant is best for reducing internal heat. Eggplant is not only an inexpensive and popular vegetable but also a great therapeutic food. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that eggplant is cool in nature and sweet in taste, with functions such as clearing heat and stopping bleeding, reducing swelling and relieving pain, expelling wind and unblocking meridians, and relaxing the bowels and promoting qi. Therefore, eating some eggplant during this season can reduce "internal heat" and relieve autumn dryness.
Steamed and Drizzled Eggplant